Extract a precise segment from any video URL. Only the requested time range is downloaded — no full video download required. Perfect for pulling clips around keyword matches, interesting moments, or specific timestamps.
Supports YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and 1000+ sites via yt-dlp.
Example
Request:
{
"url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx",
"start": 120,
"end": 180
}
{
"file_path": "/Users/you/Desktop/xxx_120-180.mp4",
"duration": 60,
"start": 120,
"end": 180,
"url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx"
}
Example: Custom output
{
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/abc123/",
"start": 0,
"end": 30,
"output_dir": "~/Videos/clips",
"output_filename": "intro_clip"
}
Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Default | Description |
|---|
url | Yes | — | Video URL (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, etc.) |
start | Yes | — | Start time in seconds |
end | Yes | — | End time in seconds |
output_dir | No | ~/Desktop | Directory to save the clip |
output_filename | No | auto-generated | Filename for the clip (without extension) |
Adjusting padding
When exporting clips around keyword matches, the default padding is 15 seconds before and after the keyword timestamp. If the clip feels too short or too long, just ask for different padding — for example, “give me 30 seconds before and 10 seconds after.” Claude will re-export the clip with your exact timing, and the previous clip is automatically overwritten — no manual cleanup needed.
Web UI
Clip export is also available visually in the Web UI. Click the film icon on any search result to create a region on the waveform, fine-tune with ±1s/±5s nudge buttons, preview the selection, and export — all without leaving the browser.
Notes
Only the requested segment is downloaded. A 60-second clip from a 3-hour video downloads in seconds, not hours.
Works with any URL that yt-dlp supports — YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Twitter/X videos, and 1000+ other sites.
Combine with search_audio or deep_search to find timestamps first, then extract clips around matches.
Re-exporting a clip with the same filename automatically overwrites the previous file.
The output format depends on the source. YouTube typically produces .mp4.
